


Stillness at the Center of the Universe

by MaleficentMo



Category: The Age of Adaline (2015)
Genre: F/M, Observation of character, Observational, One Shot, outsider pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-05 07:49:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10301528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaleficentMo/pseuds/MaleficentMo
Summary: Outsider POV observing Ms. Adaline Bowman





	

It had been a long day at work, and I was glad to hit the bar on the way home. It was the usual place; I already knew most everyone there, even if I did keep to myself, and it was only a few blocks from my apartment. I took my usual corner booth, and faced outwards; I enjoyed watching people while I drank, and this was a good way to do it.  
My eyes skimmed the place once before landing on a figure at the bar, one I hadn't seen here before. A frankly stunning woman, looking to be in her late twenties or early thirties, sat at the bar, obviously waiting for someone. I don't know what it was about this woman that captured my attention- she was beautiful, sure, but there was something about her.  
She held herself erect at the bar, a lifetime of good posture and politeness holding her higher than the rest of us. She was silent, with a soft smile on her face that I imagined never really left it. It looked comfortable there. She had striking gold hair in soft, neat waves and a small mole near her mouth, expressive eyes and a relaxed sort of gravity that she wore like a second skin. She was sipping on a rum and coke, and seemed to be just observing life around her. What was it about her that made her stand out? I felt as though it were just out of my reach- on the tip of my tongue as it were. She smiled politely and declined when several of the bar's patrons offered her drinks, some of the less savoury and less sober loudly offering her other things, but she responded the same way to every offer- a solemn shake of the head and a polite, "No, thank you."  
I had been coming here long enough to know that it would take more than that to discourage some of the patrons she was attracting and yet… somehow it did not. They looked into her eyes, and nodded respectfully, leaving her in peace. I caught the look on the face of one of them as he walked past me, and it was a combination of confusion and awe. As though he had seen something that he did not understand, and retreated in a primal reflex he did not understand. All the while, she sat silently, sipping her drink, waiting.  
It was only about fifteen minutes that I got to observe her, really, though it seemed hours, but I still feel as though I learned something from her presence. I do not know what it is, but I know I will never forget it.  
A man came into the bar, dark hair, bearded, as attractive as she was, and though they did not kiss, or embrace, it was obvious to me that they were each other's in a way I have longed to be someone's for years. It was a quiet contentment, as he waited for her to finish the last of her drink, and then offered her his arm, the perfect gentleman, and escorted her into the cab waiting outside.   
I realised a few days later what it was that had made her so extraordinary. One got the distinct impression that she was a woman who sat completely still while the universe hurled helplessly around her. She was the axis, and we all were in orbit. It seemed right.


End file.
